BVTV clears ‘Salley, ‘Honey’ in big markets

Buena Vista TV cleared its two new weekly series, “Honey I Shrunk the Kids” and “The John Salley Show,” on large-market station groups for 1997.

BVTV cleared new urban latenight hour “The John Salley Show” on the Fox and New World groups, with 22 stations reaching 40% of the country, including nine of the top 10 markets. The show is hosted by the former Detroit Pistons and Chicago Bulls basketball player, and co-hosted by standup comedian Steve White, a contributing writer for “Martin.”

Buena Vista says the weekly, which debuts in June, may become a strip by January 1998, and it will inform stations no sooner than October 1997 on the change. The show will have guests from the worlds of music, film, TV, dance, comedy and sports, and will be produced in Los Angeles. The series, packaged by William Morris agents John Ferriter and Mark Itkin, was sold for barter with a 50-50 split.

BVTV also cleared the new “Honey, I Shrunk the Kids” hour for fall 1997 on the Chris-Craft/United group, which has eight stations that reach nearly 20% of the country, including the top two markets. “Honey,” a family comedy based on the movie franchise, was sold for barter with BV keeping eight minutes and stations keeping six.